Blood Red
by eli2abelle
Summary: Michelle. Dead. These two words don't go together. Can't.


**This is just something I thought up a few days ago, after finally finishing watching The Mentalist! I shed more than just a few tears in the Season 7 episode, 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'. This is some of what we didn't see in the episode... the reactions of the team members when they find out that Michelle Vega is dead. This is only going to be one chapter** **, apologies to those who might want another!**

* * *

As Michelle lies in my arms, blood seeping between my fingers from the bullet wound in her torso, I keep repeating the same phrases I have heard hundreds of times in movies over and over again.

"Now just keep breathing for me, okay? Keep breathing. Good. In... out. Okay. You're doing good. Hey... hey! Look at me Michelle! Michelle! Hey! Just keep breathing! Good. Keep breathing. Hey... Michelle! Look at me! Look at me Michelle!"

A crowd of people has formed around us, and I can hear a woman crying softly as the first sirens can be heard. My partner looks up at me one last time before her eyes slip closed, and her chest stops moving.

"Michelle... Michelle!" I lay her on the floor and begin CPR. Deep down, I know it's pointless. That she's gone. But I still continue until the paramedics arrived. She is loaded into the back of the ambulance, and I jump inside before they can protest. On the way to the hospital, one of the paramedics straightens up with a sigh, shaking his head at his partner. Partner. Michelle was _my_ partner.

"You can't give up! You have to try save her!" I say to the him angrily, standing up to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry. It's too late."

I want to yell, punch something, swear, anything! Instead, I look over at Michelle, who is lying peacefully on the stretcher, her eyes closed. I won't ever see those gorgeous brown eyes again. She won't be sitting at her desk when get back to the office after a weekend. I will never be able to tell her how she made every day so much better for me. I sit back down again and gently pick up her hand. Already, it is freezing cold. She really is gone. And there's nothing I can do about it.

* * *

Michelle. Dead. These words don't go together. Can't. She's just sleeping. That's what I try to tell myself as I look down at her, lying motionless in the hospital bed. Her skin is pale. Lips tinged blue. I feel sick. This isn't how it was supposed to end. It was supposed be me that got shot protecting my team. Not her. Not Michelle. Was it really only this morning that I had seen her laughing at something Wylie had said? Tearing my eyes away from the sight in from of me, I turn and quickly walk out of the room. I need space. I want to get as far away as possible. I don't even know where I'm heading until I look up and see myself standing in front of room 138. It's empty. I step inside, remembering the last time I was in this room. My mother is lying in the bed, my brothers crowded around her. My father is nowhere to be seen. Probably out with friends at some bar getting drunk while we watch our mother die. Flowers sit on the bedside table. Their scent is unbearable. It makes me want to throw up, but it isn't strong enough to overcome the smell of the hospital. Sterile. Medicines. Death. The memories assault me, and I slide down the wall onto the floor, covering my head with my hands. I'm shaking. I can feel the wetness on my cheeks, but I can't stop. I can't move. I just sit there with my head in my hands until I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Teresa." Jane is suddenly at my side, and I look up at him with a tear-stained face. He sits down beside me, and I lean into him. He doesn't try to stop me from crying. Only sits there with one arm wrapped around me, holding me tightly.

"It's okay. You're okay. I'm here. I'm here for you. It's okay." He repeats these words over and over until I can't cry anymore. I just sit there, empty inside.

"She's dead." My voice sounds hollow, even to me.

"I know," he whispers. "I know."

* * *

"It's Vega." Hearing these words, my world seems to shatter into a million pieces.

"The damage was too great. There was nothing they could do."

I barely hear him. I look at Michelle's desk, thinking back to that morning. I had been so excited when she had accepted my invitation. It was like a dream come true.

"Wylie. You there?"

I clear my throat. "Yeah. How did she… um…" I trail off, unable to bring myself to say that awful word.

"She took a bullet to the abdomen." Abbott's voice is surprisingly soft.

"Oh." I wish I hadn't asked now. I can imagine her lying on the floor, the pool of blood getting bigger-

"Wylie."

I jump, realising that Abbott is speaking to me again. "Yes boss?"

"The rest of the team's with me. You should be here."

I nod, even though he can't see me. "Okay. I'm on my way." I end the call, but don't get up. I stay seated, imagining Michelle sitting over at her desk. She is on the phone, her hair falling over her face. She has no idea how beautiful she is. She looks up at me, and her face breaks into a smile. Something's happening. As I watch, she starts to fade. Already, the memory is starting to slip away, as if it was only a dream.

* * *

 **Michelle Vega didn't deserve to die. She was too young. Too eager to please. I wrote this to give me some closure. To prove that her death didn't go unnoticed. No matter how new she was to the team, she is still a part of the Mentalist family. If you agree, leave a review. Tell me what you thought about the episode. I know I'm not the only one who loved Michelle Vega!**


End file.
